best pillows (and best hot chocolate?)

[chinamoon]

Anyone got any good tips for nice pillows that don't cost the earth and do survive a wash or two?

DC are complaining about their pillows and they really are rubbish. Cheap ones that are five years old at least. I'd like some really comfortable ones but they seem extortionate. What are the best soft but supportive mid price ones?

Also, now the weather is closing in I want to get some really nice hot chocolate for the occasional treat for DC rather than cheap stuff they have daily (trying to be healthier and go for quality not quantity.) Any advice?

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For hot chocolate, either the sort that is like a bar of 99% cocoa solids that you grate and add to hot milk (Hotel Chocolat used to do a ready grated version, but M&S sell the bars) or else plain, supermarket own brand cocoa powder. Lots of chocolate, a tiny bit of sugar and you can add a pinch of cinnamon, or a few drops of vanilla extract (or orange or peppermint).

Snuggle down of Norway do the BEST pillows and duvets. I was spending a fortune on them from House of Frasier before I realised that they're often in TK Maxx for about a quarter of the price. Super comfy and never go flat. I like the Bourneville Options hot chocolate and the dc do too. Not at all how I expected it to taste as I'm not a massive dark chocolate fan. Put a heap of the powder in a mug, mix with a little milk and sugar and out hot water in to top up. I never bother to do the cadburys powder in a pan of hot milk anymore, this is much nicer.

Can I just mention that if anyone looks for natural filled pillows, particularly goosedown, you look at the origins and ethics policy of the source.
There are some particularly horrible practices out there including live plucking, see the JL policy
www.johnlewis.com/inspiration-and-advice/john-lewis-policy-on-feather-and-down-products

I have a buckwheat pillow which I love. It moulds to the shape of my head, it stays cool in hot weather, I can fill it up myself to the right level of hardness and I can pour all the filling into a bucket and wash and tumble dry the cover.

For ethical reasons, I wouldn't use down or feather filled pillows personally.

Of the artificial fibre pillows I've had, John Lewis's pillows have been the most comfortable and long lasting. The ikea pillows we had went very lumpy after only a short time.

TK Maxx (with a Home section) for pillows/duvets/bed linen - I've always found them to be great and super cheap! They sell online too if there is no store near you, but like others have said, it's good to test out.

What is a reasonable price? Our hollow fibre John Lewis cushions were £30 each and nearly 5 years on are as good as new. We wash them 2x a year.